Interesting Finds & Heads-Ups

ooooo im glad i waited on the qk65 now

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friends-i-knew-it

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Just learned about these ONI switches from divinkey, seem interesting.

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MX DOOM

They have them in stock on KBDFans. I’ve not been impressed by tecsee switches that I’ve tried because of wobble, but these are new molds, and the HPE material is said to have a nice sound.

I’d like to try them out but I’ll wait until some version is stocked in the US. Doesn’t make sense to have switches shipped from so far away. Also, I still haven’t purchased from KBDFans since Feb of last year :raised_hands: (you know, the whole paying $100 to return a defective keyboard thing)

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Interesting! Although I agree with some of the GH comments. Clearly MF DOOM inspired (aware of Doctor Doom), but the legendary MC’s inspo not being mentioned anywhere is kinda odd… To use “Villainy” and MF Doom’s particular Doom mask then to say this:

Well in part, it can be seen to some as an homage to your rapper’s favorite rapper… but it’s really more homage to comic villains like Doctor Doom.

is kinda messed up imo lol

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So far my impression of Tecsee switches has been very mixed, but leaning towards positive for me because I give points for trying new things and experimenting, which Tecsee seems pretty keen on doing.

Quick n’ dirty IIRC blurbs:

  • Carrot Linears: High-pitched, hard-but-thin feeling, kinda meh but not scratchy - needs tuning but has potential if you like higher sounds. PME housing IIRC. Take care if opening; housings are brittle.

  • Diamond (aka Jadeite) Linears: Low-key love these things, but have to acknowledge they aren’t for everyone; Tecsee’s full-UHMWPE stems are quite soft, so heavy typists or enthusiastic WASD gamers may damage them - and there is a sort of mild slip-stick to break through at the top of travel that’s polarizing. Personally, I think they sound and feel great.

  • Techno Violet Linears: Nylon long-pole switches, dry from factory - pretty much what you’d expect. Not ultra smooth, but make a nice clack. No complaints, and they have the color of a ripe eggplant. Neat.

  • Zaku Linears: Polycarbonate long-pole switches, I believe also dry from factory - like the above but more smooth & crisp. Honestly can’t tell which is “deeper” - they don’t sound exactly the same. As far as the style goes I think they’re totally good if not quite excellent. :+1:

  • Blue Velvet Tactiles: Clacky, a bit wobbly - seems to have good potential but deffo needs tuning; PME housing?

  • Lychee Tactiles: Love the feel, sound is fine, can’t hold onto keycaps. Kinda wobbly. :stuck_out_tongue: Nothing a little PTFE thread tape can’t fix, though.

  • Coral Tactiles: Nylon stems in these guys - PC top and maybe PME bottom? I’m sneakin’ this post at work so I’m not looking it up right now. :stuck_out_tongue: Anywho - pretty darn strong, I like the sound and feel. Didn’t blow me away but still left a good impression.

  • Blue Sky Star Tactiles: Surprisingly good; a little wobble but that’s about the only negative thing I have to say about them. Sound is deeper than most Tecsees I’ve tried so far (especially considering these are “extra-long-pole” clacky tactiles, and the HPE material has a nice sound and feel to me - less dry and brittle seeming than the PME. Easily my favorite Tecsee switch so far next to Diamonds, without any of the be-careful caveats.

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Ha, that makes perfect sense then. The ones I have tried were the Techno Violet, Carrot, and Blue Velvet. Those all were “okay” but definitely all needed work.

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So I’m not going crazy. The keycaps were really loose when installed on those! I just figured I was doing something wrong.

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Def not:

I emailed the vendor about it - either Bolsa or Dangkeebs, can’t remember - they were super cool and offered a refund, but also mentioned the PTFE tape, which was my introduction to using it for keeb stuff. I figured I’d give it at try, and these days I find it all but indispensable.

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I have some Carrots on the way, I’ve found that the sound of the PME housing with that long pole is thin and plasticy on an Alu plate, like on my NK65EE, but with a PC plate like the KBD67 Lite it’s muc nicer, deep and full sound.

BTW I’ve noticed the phenomenon of the small stem with the Durock POMs, stem is noticeably smaller than usual, iirc the stem is the new P3 stem which is an UHMWPE blend, stem wobble is fantastic though, which makes it more confusing.

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Some cool desk/mousemats here. Really dig the art style



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Whoa, I do dig that art style.

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SAL profile looks the same as the high profile doubleshot sets Filco has always sold (Signature Plastics SA, 223333).
e.g. Double Shot Filco 104 Key USA Keyset, Navy Blue : SPKCS104N : The Keyboard Company

These look nice if your keyboard slopes upwards towards the back like a Filco. I hardly ever use mine, because I don’t really like non-sculpted sets.

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Looks like CIY is at it again with another budget board:

Ten bucks off at checkout with code: gas67

Well, “gasket mount” has officially made it to the budget sector. I don’t expect any miracles or even minor disruptions here, but making more thoughtful mounting styles available on the cheap is nothing but good in my book.

Coming in at an MSRP of $60, that’s $50 less than a KBD67L. Will it be a comparable value, though? Who knows! Nobody, yet - but yes, I ordered one - and yes, I’ll tell you if it sucks or not. In the mean-time, some bullet-points:

  • Polycarb plate
  • Foam gaskets
  • USBC daughter board (!)
  • PCB foam layer
  • Mute silicone
  • 1.2mm PCB
  • ARR GEE BEEZ
  • POM plate-mount stabs
  • Hot-swap (5-pin, but North-facing)

Yes, I could harp on that last point - but I won’t. This is decidedly a budget keeb, and I don’t think too many folks will be lamenting not being able to mount GMK on it without the help of washers or certain switches. I think more buyers of this keeb would be disappointed if the RGB didn’t fire into the legends of shine-through caps, so I can’t fault the decision.

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Ermahgerd! Pair this up with KAM Superuser and – forgetaboutit.

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Intriguing!

Was browsing GH and saw this, a possible contender for the Ciel.

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Mmm, bevels.

Speaking of browsing GH - are you familiar with this lovely website?

Created and maintained by our very own @ajoflo, I find this to be a great way to check out what’s happening on GH at-a-glance.

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Yup! Amazing website, that’s how I found it, actually!

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